Method of operating sawmill-blocks



DAVID RUSSELL, OF DREWERSBURG, INDIANA.

METHOD 0F OPERATING SAWMILL-BLOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,036, dated June 6, 1854.

To aZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, DAVID RUSSELL, of Drewersburg, in the county of Franklin and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in I-Iead and Tail Blocks for Sawmills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and clear description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a pla-n or top view with part of the blocks broken out to show the gearing.

The nature o-fmy invention consists in an improved mode of operating the head and tail blocks in saw mills simultaneously.

I construct the carriage frame A in the usual manner, with suitable cross pieces, and secure thereon the head` block B by means of the hooked bolts ai, o and the wedges Z), Z2, the lower ends of the bolts being bent to a right angle take `under the frame, and can be readily loosened by driving out the wedges, when the block is to be moved to accommodate logs of various lengths. Two pieces (c, 0,) furnished with the usual dogs to/hold one end of the log, are attached to ano-ther piece (c) and traverse in a groove in the block B. e has on its edge "for a portion of its length a toothed rack The block B affords bearings for a vertical shaft s which carries (fixed thereon) two toothed wheels the upper one of which (f) works in the rack z', while' the lower one (g) works in the rack Zt attached to one edge of the longitudinal connecting piece C, which passes through slots in the head block B and tail block i D. The block D is furnished with a similar arrangement consisting of a piece (al) furnished with dogs to hold the other end of the log, and a rack (7c) which takes into the wheel Z upon the vertical shaft n which has its bearings in the block D and carries (also fixed thereon) another wheel which works in the rack (p) of thepiece i C. The block B also carries another vertical shaft (o) to which is Xed a wheel `(1) working in the rack ZL. A crank handle or lever (g) is fitted on the upper end of the shaft o, which also fits on the upper projecting ends ofthe shafts s, and n. The piece C is kept in gear by the wedges Z, and u which pass through vertical slots in the blocks B and D.

The operation is as follows: When the log to be sawed is placed upon the carriage, with its ends resting upon the 'blocks at o, and fw, and secured by the dogs to the sliding pieces c, and CZ, and thefirst cut taken, the attendant moves the lever g in the direction of the arrow, and by means of the wheel r working in the rack Zz. the piece C is drawn through the block B, and being connected by its racks ZL, and p with the wheels g and m gives simultaneous motion, through the wheels f and Z and racks i and la, to the pieces c, and cZ, to which the log is dogged thus insuring a movement to the log parallel to the first cut, to the extent required, which operation is repeated until the log is sawed up. The connecting piece C may be thrown out of gear when the wedges 2? and u are removed, and the blocks worked independently when required.

The use of the connecting piece with its racks possesses great advantages over the usual modes of connecting the two blocks, not only in its simplicity and cheapness of construction, but with reference to the hori zontal shaft frequently used I avoid the torsional strain to which the latter is subjected, and substitute therefor a tensile strain when the log is upon the carriage, the st-rain being inconsiderable when the movements are reversed to take a fresh start, as there is then no lo-g upon the carriage.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The combination of the transverse racks Z and Ze, the wheels f, g, Z and m, and the shafts s and n; with the horizontal connecting piece C and its racks ZL, and p, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this tenth day of April, 1854.

. DAVID RUSSELL.

Vit-nesses CHAs. EvERETT, S. W. FoRREsT, SAML. GRUBB. 

